Chapter 2102: Unexpected Discovery
The Seven Dragon Furnace seemed to possess life, releasing extremely terrifying power as it repeatedly shattered space barriers, advancing forward, its destination unknown.
Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend King coordinated, executing exquisite spatial techniques, barely able to keep up.
"It's not the furnace releasing power to shatter space; there's most likely a King Grade Sacred Pill inside. I can't let it get away," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
King Grade Sacred Pills were incredibly precious. Dragon Fiend King had collected over a hundred million treasures but only possessed two such pills, and one had already been refined by the Dark Son.
As the thought crossed his mind, Zhang Ruochen mobilized the space rules within his body, releasing powerful spatial force to sweep toward the Seven Dragon Furnace. He didn't want to keep chasing indefinitely, as who knew what other unexpected changes might arise.
Under the restraint of spatial force, the Seven Dragon Furnace's flight speed was immediately affected.
"Splash."
A spatial chain appeared, tightly wrapping around the Seven Dragon Furnace.
In this situation, the Seven Dragon Furnace was suspended midair, unable to move.
But just as Zhang Ruochen prepared to pull the spatial chain, a small flame dragon suddenly rushed out from the furnace, releasing extremely violent power.
"Crack."
The spatial chain snapped instantly, and the Seven Dragon Furnace took the opportunity to shatter the space barrier ahead.
A strange light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "A King Grade Sacred Pill that can wield such powerful Nuanling Dragon Fire. If I can refine it, the Purifying Divine Flame within me will surely improve significantly, perhaps even evolving into Imperial Flame in one go."
Purifying Divine Flame had three levels: Common Flame, Minister Flame, and Imperial Flame. Most people only mastered Common Flame, very few reached Minister Flame, and Imperial Flame was almost legendary. Even Great Saints who cultivated the path of fire rarely managed to nurture it.
Zhang Ruochen had long ago transformed his Purifying Divine Flame into Minister Flame, but further evolution into Imperial Flame seemed far off.
He was now almost certain that the King Grade Sacred Pill inside the Seven Dragon Furnace could enhance the essence of Purifying Divine Flame, so naturally, he couldn't let it go.
At Zhang Ruochen's signal, Dragon Fiend King burst forth at maximum speed, forcing its way through before the space barrier could repair itself. It had firmly locked onto the Seven Dragon Furnace's aura and wouldn't let it escape easily.
Because the spatial structure ahead was extremely complex, the Seven Dragon Furnace's reckless charging slowed it down. By the time it broke free from the spatial fault, Dragon Fiend King had already caught up.
"Seal."
Zhang Ruochen struck, releasing powerful spatial force to seal a large area of space.
The Seven Dragon Furnace trembled violently, and a massive amount of Nuanling Dragon Fire surged out like a volcanic eruption.
"Bang."
The furnace lid was blasted off by the powerful force, and a blue flame dragon over a thousand zhang long flew out from within, breaking through the spatial seal and fleeing at extreme speed.
"It really is a King Grade Sacred Pill, with such a powerful pill spirit. But do you think you can escape?" Zhang Ruochen's eyes lit up as he immediately executed Space Displacement.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen appeared dozens of miles away, blocking the blue flame dragon's path.
He activated the Luo Water Fist Art, and a vast heavenly river manifested, winding and twisting as it wrapped around the blue flame dragon.
"Roar."
The blue flame dragon let out a sky-shaking dragon roar, and terrifying Nuanling Dragon Fire surged from within its body.
As the saying goes, water and fire are incompatible. Under the scorching Nuanling Dragon Fire, the heavenly river began to emit a large amount of steam, as if it might be evaporated dry.
"Splash."
The heavenly river flowed more turbulently, continuously expanding, quickly overpowering the flames.
It wasn't that the Nuanling Dragon Fire was weak, but because Zhang Ruochen had refined a top-tier water-type divine object, perfecting the Luo Water Fist Art to its peak. The heavenly river he manifested could endlessly regenerate, perfectly countering the Nuanling Dragon Fire.
But even surrounded by the heavenly river, the blue flame dragon refused to give up resistance. Instead, it struggled more fiercely, releasing clusters of deep blue flames, condensing strange dragon seals to strike at the heavenly river.
"Boom, rumble."
Under the assault of the dragon seals, the heavenly river violently shook, raising monstrous waves.
"What a formidable pill spirit. In terms of pure power, it's almost comparable to the Dark Son before his breakthrough. Unfortunately, it hasn't cultivated any sacred arts. No matter how strong its power, it doesn't know how to use it," Zhang Ruochen said, shaking his head slightly.
As he spoke, he tightened the heavenly river, forcibly crushing the blue flame dragon.
Under the pressure of the heavenly river, the blue flame dragon's massive body began to shrink.
Before long, the blue flame dragon was only about a zhang long, then vanished into thin air. A deep blue pill, only the size of a finger, appeared.
On the surface of the pill was a dragon pattern, constantly moving, trying to break free.
"Seal."
Zhang Ruochen struck, quickly forming a powerful seal.
"Hum."
The pill trembled lightly, then fell still.
A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face as he drew the pill into his hand. After all this effort, the King Grade Sacred Pill was finally his.
If his cultivation and strength hadn't advanced so much, he might not have been able to subdue the pill spirit within.
"I'll refine it after leaving True Dragon Island," Zhang Ruochen murmured.
Refining a King Grade Sacred Pill was no easy task, especially this one, which contained terrifying Nuanling Dragon Fire. Even he would need considerable time.
And the situation on True Dragon Island was complex and changeable, clearly unsuitable for such an endeavor.
The Dark Son had been able to refine one so quickly mainly because he cultivated the Dark Path, one of the Nine Eternal Paths, which excelled at devouring and absorbing.
Carefully storing the King Grade Sacred Pill, Zhang Ruochen approached the Seven Dragon Furnace.
This treasure naturally couldn't be left behind either.
A furnace capable of refining King Grade pills was invaluable. If given to Xiao Hei, he might be able to produce many high-grade sacred pills.
"Boom."
Completely abruptly, a large area of space shattered, and destructive force surged.
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred as he quickly stored the Seven Dragon Furnace and turned to look in the direction of the shattered space.
Numerous massive black tentacles came into view, each over a thousand zhang long, covered in blood-colored patterns. They appeared fragile but were actually extremely tough, capable of piercing anything.
"Mu Zu."
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen realized what it was.
He had recently encountered the eerie child and was all too familiar with Mu Zu's aura. He hadn't expected to encounter Mu Zu's true form so soon.
However, he couldn't see Mu Zu's form because it was shrouded in pure dark divine power, only revealing its many black tentacles.
Fighting against Mu Zu was a cold, handsome man in black, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, radiating an incredibly powerful sword intent. He wielded a blunt, edgeless sword, yet could deliver astonishing sharpness.
With a thought, Zhang Ruochen identified him as Sword Emperor, one of the Five Overlords.
Dragon Fiend King had told him that Sword Emperor was born from a remnant sword intent left on True Dragon Island by a legendary Sword God from the past. His swordsmanship was unparalleled, and his attacks were the most fierce and domineering.
The blunt, edgeless sword in Sword Emperor's hand was a powerful Monarch Battle Weapon.
The Sword God's sword intent had been attached to that blunt sword, and after a long period of gestation, Sword Emperor was born.
Thus, Sword Emperor was perfectly attuned to the blunt sword. With the sword in hand, he was invincible.
"Master, Sword Emperor and Mu Zu are the most incompatible. Every time a sudden change occurs on True Dragon Island, they inevitably fight. We'd better avoid them," Dragon Fiend King warned.
The Five Overlords were never on good terms, especially Mu Zu, who wanted to devour or enslave all life on the island and dominate True Dragon Island alone.
In Dragon Fiend King's current state, encountering Mu Zu was truly not a good thing.
To be honest, Zhang Ruochen really wanted to use the God-Defying Stele to suppress both Mu Zu and Sword Emperor and seize the treasures they had collected.
But the current situation was different from when he subdued Dragon Fiend King. He might not be able to successfully use the God-Defying Stele to attack Mu Zu and Sword Emperor's true bodies.
If it were just one of them, it might be worth a try.
Just as he was thinking, Zhang Ruochen suddenly felt his scalp tighten. A strong sense of crisis surged into his heart.
"Whoosh."
Countless black tentacles, like war spears, tore through the air, stabbing toward him like lightning.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze condensed. He hadn't expected Mu Zu to divert its attention to deal with him and Dragon Fiend King while fighting Sword Emperor.
Before the tentacles arrived, a terrifying mental power attack had already come first.
Compared to the eerie child, the mental power attack from Mu Zu's true form was many times more terrifying.
Even though Zhang Ruochen was prepared, his brain still experienced intense pain. His mind was filled with bloody and bizarre images, causing a faint blood light to appear in his eyes.
"Hiss."
Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but inhale sharply, truly feeling Mu Zu's terror.
"Break."
Zhang Ruochen let out a loud shout, fully mobilizing his mental power.
The sacred mental image he had cultivated was the Thunder God Venerable, so his mental power naturally carried a yang and firm aura, which perfectly countered Mu Zu's sinister mental power.
In an instant, the bloody and bizarre images filling his mind were forcibly torn apart.
Enduring the dizziness in his brain, Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, releasing a large amount of Purifying Divine Flame to engulf the tentacles Mu Zu had extended.
Even at the same Minister Flame level, the power of Purifying Divine Flame varied greatly depending on the cultivator's strength.
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, releasing Purifying Divine Flame could easily burn most Nine-Step Saint Kings to ashes.
As Zhang Ruochen expected, Mu Zu's true form was also wary of flames. The several tentacles aimed at him stopped advancing.
On the other side, although Dragon Fiend King's strength was greatly diminished, dealing with a few of Mu Zu's tentacles was not too difficult.
Zhang Ruochen appeared on Dragon Fiend King's head and said, "Let's leave here."
They had already attracted Mu Zu's attention. If Sword Emperor also targeted them, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Dragon Fiend King didn't dare hesitate. It immediately carried Zhang Ruochen and plunged into a space fault, not wanting to be devoured by Mu Zu.
"Boom."
More than a dozen of Mu Zu's tentacles struck like lightning. Although they didn't hit Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend King, they shattered the space fault into pieces.
As a result, Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend King fell into an even more chaotic and complex space.
Even though both cultivated the Way of Space, they still encountered trouble.
"Damn Mu Zu, I'll devour you sooner or later!" Dragon Fiend King roared.
In the blink of an eye, Dragon Fiend King had suffered multiple terrifying attacks. Numerous cracks appeared on its surface, and it was nearly swallowed by a space rift.
A grave look appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes as he pushed the Way of Space to its limit, desperately seeking a way out in the chaotic space fault.
Thanks to Mu Zu's interference, they were truly in big trouble this time.
"A divine heart from the Hell Realm, it must be a major threat. I need to find a chance to eliminate it," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Dragon Fiend King suddenly screamed, "Not good!"
The reason was that Mu Zu had extended dozens more tentacles, trying to completely destroy this space fault.
Just then, Sword Emperor struck, slashing out dozens of sharp sword qi.
"Pfft."
The dozens of tentacles Mu Zu had just extended were all severed by the sword qi, failing to attack the space fault.
Taking this opportunity, Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend King quickly broke free from the space fault and vanished, disappearing to an unknown location.
"Bang."
Space rippled slightly, and Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend King appeared out of nowhere, crashing heavily to the ground.
After charging left and right through the space fault, both were covered in wounds.
If Sword Emperor hadn't struck at the critical moment, they might have been trapped in the space fault.
Dragon Fiend King said angrily, "If my strength weren't damaged, I would join Sword Emperor and kill that damn Mu Zu."
"Don't worry, there will be a chance. We'll settle this score sooner or later," Zhang Ruochen said, his eyes cold.
He had almost been killed by Mu Zu this time. How could he swallow this anger?
Mu Zu was certainly strong, but there would always be an opportunity to strike. No matter what, before leaving True Dragon Island, he would make Mu Zu pay the price.
Dragon Fiend King said with some surprise, "This place seems a bit different. Within a large area, there are no space fault layers, and I sense a very special yet familiar aura."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen also began to survey his surroundings. It was necessary to first understand the environment they were in.
Based on their previous experiences, True Dragon Island should be full of space fault layers everywhere, a chaotic mess. Without sufficient spatial skill, it was almost impossible to move.
But this area was different. Using spatial perception, within a thousand miles, there wasn't even a single small space fault layer.
"I remember now, it's the aura of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring," Dragon Fiend King suddenly said.
As one of the Five Overlords on True Dragon Island, it had seen the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring once and obtained a small amount of its water, so it was quite familiar with its aura.
Hearing the words "Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring," Zhang Ruochen's eyes lit up. This was one of the most famous treasures on True Dragon Island, capable of forging an unparalleled strong physique and possessing many other incredible uses.
Legend had it that the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring produced three qualities of water. The most common and abundant was Sacred Spring, usable by Saints and Saint Kings.
The second, rarer type was Sacred Spring for top-tier Saint Kings and Great Saints.
The third was Divine Spring, extremely scarce, even gods desired it.
There was also the Dragon Transformation Grass with its unimaginable effects, said to grow beside the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, absorbing the essence of the spring and nourished by vast dragon qi, taking tens of thousands of years to produce a single plant.
If someone with divine dragon bloodline refined a Dragon Transformation Grass, they could hope to fully activate their divine dragon bloodline and evolve into a true divine dragon.
Although True Dragon Island was now in ruins, the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring still existed. Coupled with the residual dragon qi on the island, there might still be hope for Dragon Transformation Grass to grow.
"Immediately perceive the location of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring," Zhang Ruochen ordered.
Since they were fortunate enough to encounter the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, there was no reason to miss it. No matter what, they had to find a way to obtain some of its water.
...
The most mysterious ancient sect of the Kunlun Realm. Many readers might have forgotten. As the Kunlun Realm revives and the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree sprouts new leaves, will they appear again? Follow "Secret Ancient Sect" to find out.
(Chapter End)